Artistic Director

Alexandrous Ballard is a choreographer, master teacher, director and ballet master now returned to the Portland area after being appointed ballet master for Canada’s Alberta Ballet, under the direction of Vancouver Olympics choreographer Jean Grand-Maitre. He is founding faculty for The Portland Ballet and is the original instructor for the men’s program there. He was faculty at the School of Oregon Ballet Theater under the direction of Haydee Gutiérrez and James Canfield, and has been adjunct faculty at University of Oregon and Portland State University. Since returning to Portland he has served as interim director of Northwest Classical Ballet, and is currently guest faculty at Bodyvox and Portland Youth Ballet.

Mr Ballard’s professional career started in New York with New York Dance Theater and in New Orleans with Delta Festival Ballet. He joined Cleveland San Jose Ballet, touring Europe with Rudolf Nureyev and spent a season dancing for Ballet Royale de Wallonie in Belgium. Upon returning to the United States he was a principal dancer for Richmond Ballet and for 8 years was a principal for Oregon Ballet Theater, ending his professional career at that company and with numerous guesting appearances in Japan. Mr. Ballard is married to Leslie Braverman, owner-operator of Pacific NW Pilates, a Stott Pilates education and training center. He has a thriving practice in Portland teaching Gyrotonic and Alexander Technique. Mr Ballard has trained for more than 20 years in martial arts, and now concentrates his training in Muy Thai, JKD/Escrima and Brazilian Ju-Jitsu at River City Warriors in Tigard. He holds Black Belt rank in Judo from his boyhood and Nidan rank in Aikikai-style Aikido.​In his spare time he plays classical guitar and is currently reluctantly learning how to hang drywall.